Our Story

The original concept for Hoist began in 1999 by a group of childhood friends. One of their close friends had made it to the NFL, and shared that he and his teammates used a popular infant beverage to stay hydrated on the sidelines instead of the popular sports drinks. Not only did they hydrate with it during practices and games, but also in the morning after a night out on the town. Co-founders Kelly Heekin and Ben Schmidt then decided to start using it as a recovery drink too. The effects felt great—and happened quickly—but they hated the taste.

Since there was no other drink that made them feel as good and tasted good, they wondered if they could create one themselves. Thus, the idea for Hoist was born!

After six years of talking about the “what-ifs,” and still not seeing a similar product on the market, they took action. They spent 2 years working nights and weekends, researching and creating a brand that people would enjoy. The founders each put in enough money for a 6-month test run to see what would happen.

People loved it!

Hoist officially launched in 2009 in the founders’ hometown of Cincinnati. At first, it was marketed directly toward hangovers and distributed it out of the trunk of Kelly’s car. After a couple of years of consumer feedback, they realized people were using Hoist for an everyday hydration drink, rather than just a hangover cure.

So they rebranded and repackaged Hoist. But that wasn’t all. They also dug into the science of hydration. Then they completely reformulated Hoist to become perfectly isotonic, which allowed them to create a product that hydrates fast like an IV, but still tastes as good as a sports drink.

Now Hoist provides IV-level hydration that is perfectly balanced for all lifestyles. Sure Hoist provides the formula to hydrate endurance athletes and people with high-intensity lifestyles, but it also is perfect for moms hydrating their kids through soccer season, or your nine-to-fiver who can’t find the time to stomach eight glasses of water every day.

Mission

Giving back to the community is something that most companies tend to do. A way to provide help for others and a way to be thankful to our customers. Our mission here at Hoist is to help enable people to turn their daily battles into daily triumphs. We are here to celebrate heroes and believe that heroes come in many forms.

Whether you are a Big Sister, youth football coach or American soldier, it is a priority for all of us at Hoist to support you. If you have a hero to nominate, please email us their story: info@drinkhoist.com or fill out the form here: https://drinkhoist.com/contact-us/